A Dog for Grandpa
by Kristen3
Summary: Martin is stuck in a depressed state after losing Eddie. But David has a suggestion that might just be the perfect thing to heal his grandfather's grief.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Recently, Andrea (**iloveromance**) suggested that I try to do more longer stories (i.e., non-one-shots). So I decided to see what I could do about that, and this resulted. I don't have the last chapter written yet, but I'll try to get it up ASAP. :)

"Grandpa's no fun anymore." Daphne was surprised to hear her four-year-old son make this announcement just as she'd picked him up from his grandfather and step-grandmother's house. She'd left him there for a few hours so that she could run errands.

When Daphne recovered from her shock, she kneeled down to David's height. "Why do you say that?"

"Because he doesn't want to play with me. He's sad all the time."

Daphne felt her heart break. She and Niles had noticed the change in Martin's behavior, but they'd convinced themselves it would go away on its own. Apparently that wasn't the case, if a little boy could see the signs. "Well, your grandfather hasn't been himself lately. Not since Eddie passed away." Martin's faithful companion had finally succumbed to old age a couple of months ago.

David merely looked at her, not understanding what she was talking about.

"You know how you sometimes miss Daddy while he's at work? That's how Grandpa feels about Eddie. Only Eddie's never coming back." Daphne did her best to put death into terms her son could understand.

"Ever?" David asked. He sometimes got upset when one of his parents left, but he knew they'd always come back eventually.

"No," Daphne replied, shaking her head sadly. "That's not how death works, sweetheart."

For a moment, David didn't say anything. Daphne thought maybe that was the end of the conversation. David often didn't stay on one topic for long. It would only be a matter of minutes before he would become excited over almost anything he happened to notice. But, to her surprise, he finally did speak again. "Well, why doesn't he get a new dog?"

Daphne didn't know how to answer his question. It seemed that she and Niles had overlooked the painfully obvious answer. They'd discussed the possibility of recommending a therapist who might be able to help with his grief. But they both knew Martin would never agree to see a professional, not even one recommended by his own sons. Getting a new dog had seemed wrong somehow, as if Eddie were replaceable. He'd been by Martin's side for so long, he became a member of the family. But Daphne thought about her father-in-law. He was definitely lost without Eddie, and no amount of encouragement from either Daphne or Ronee could help him. A new dog, however, might just be the healing he needed. "I'll talk it over with your father tonight. Maybe we'll go to a shelter and pick one out as a surprise for your grandfather. How about that?"

Suddenly, all of the sadness in David's expression melted away. His smile warmed Daphne, and she had a feeling his suggestion might just do the same for Martin.


	2. Chapter 2

Daphne was grateful that David's good mood remained for the car ride home. Niles had wanted to enroll his son in pre-school in hopes of gaining an academic advantage, but Daphne convinced him to let David stay home for another year. She just wasn't ready to give up her little boy yet. She glanced at the clock as she and David entered the front door of their apartment. "Daddy should be home soon," Daphne told her son.

"Yay!" David could hardly contain his excitement. Daphne smiled, grateful that Niles was such a good father.

"Why don't you go play in your room for a while? I want to talk to Daddy alone about getting a dog for Grandpa, OK?"

David nodded. "He'll say yes," he said confidently. "'Cause a dog would make Grandpa happy, and that's what we all want, right?"

Daphne couldn't resist hugging her son. "I think you're right." She smiled as David happily took off for his room. It was hard to believe how much she loved David. Right from the moment he grabbed a strand of her hair moments after birth, her son had stolen her heart. With a contented sigh, she occupied herself doing some of the chores she still needed to get done. She was so focused on her dusting that she nearly jumped when she heard the front door open. "Oh, Niles." She smiled, glad to see him. Even though he'd only been gone for a few hours, she'd missed him.

Niles smiled as she came over, greeting him with a kiss. "I've been looking forward to this moment all day," he said. "I love helping my patients, but there's nothing like coming home to my beloved wife and son. Speaking of which, where is my little man?"

"He's in his room playing. I wanted to discuss something with you."

"Oh," Niles said, taking her hand and leading her over to the fainting couch. "What's on your mind, my love?"

"It's about your father," Daphne replied. "I dropped David off at his house so that I could do a bit of shopping. When I went to pick him up, David told me that his grandfather doesn't want to play with him anymore."

Niles sighed. He hadn't wanted to admit that his father's problem was this serious. "I would suggest some professional help for Dad, but you know he'd never go for that."

"Yes, Darling, I know we've talked about that. But David had an idea. He thinks we should get your father a new dog."

"I don't know about that, Daphne." Niles shook his head. "You know Eddie was his best friend. He could never be replaced."

"We all miss Eddie," Daphne said. Though the dog could often be a bit of a troublemaker, it was hard to resist the adorable Jack Russell. "But maybe a new dog would take your father's mind off of Eddie. I know he'll never forget him, but he needs to move on."

Niles leaned forward, kissing her. "You've always looked out for Dad. That was one of the things that made me fall in love with you." He smiled, recalling once again their fateful meeting. "Perhaps you're right. Dad seems to be stuck in his grief. Animals can be a wonderful source of companionship, as we've already seen with Eddie. Have you talked to Ronee about this? She should have a say, since she'll have to help take care of it."

Daphne shook her head. "I wanted to discuss it with you first. Let's go call her right now!" Daphne excitedly got up from the couch, pulling Niles by the hand. He had to smile at her enthusiasm. He knew his stepmother might be a bit reluctant to take on another pet so soon after losing Eddie, but Niles had a feeling Daphne would persuade Ronee. It was just one of the many reasons Niles knew he would love Daphne for as long as he lived.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **I had intended to stop this story at Ch. 3. But it sort of went another way. I doubt anyone minds! ;)

Not surprisingly, Daphne had very little trouble convincing Ronee that a new dog might help bring Martin out of his depression. She'd been at her wits' end with her husband.

Niles was grateful his wife and son were both so concerned about Martin's wellbeing. If he'd had any doubts about whether or not Daphne belonged in the Crane family, they were certainly gone now. He and Daphne watched as David happily skipped ahead of them into the animal shelter. Niles had wanted to get a dog from an upscale pet store, but Daphne suggested it would be better to give a home to a poor dog who really needed a family.

"Thank you again for suggesting this, my love," Niles said, kissing her as they prepared to follow David inside.

Daphne smiled. "It was really David's idea. You should be thanking him."

"Yes, but David gets his compassion from you. I'm so grateful for how you've always taken care of Dad."

His words made Daphne blush. "Well, your father can drive me right out of me mind sometimes, but he's family. I didn't do anything you wouldn't have."

"Perhaps you're right," Niles finally agreed. He glanced inside the building, where David was waiting impatiently. "We'd better get in there before he has a heart attack."

Daphne grinned. "Either that, or he'll want to take home every dog he sees." They entered the animal shelter and were temporarily overwhelmed by the sound of many dogs barking at once. When the animals had quieted down, David beckoned them over.

"I think I found the dog for Grandpa."

Niles and Daphne made their way towards him. David was petting a small Jack Russell puppy. Daphne was about to gently remind her son that Martin might not want a dog so similar to Eddie. But before she could get the words out, the dog looked at her, tilting his head sideways. Daphne couldn't help being startled. It was as if Eddie had been reincarnated.

"Grandpa's going to love him, don't you think?" David asked. His eyes were wide, obviously pleading with his parents to choose this dog.

"What do you think?" Daphne asked, turning to Niles.

"Well, he is cute. It was David's idea to get Dad a new dog, so I think we should choose the one that he likes."

David ran over to his father, hugging him tightly around the waist. "Thanks, Dad! You're the best!"

Niles bent down to his son's height. "I know that your grandfather hasn't been much fun lately, but I have a feeling he's going to be so happy you wanted to do this for him." In truth, Niles wasn't sure what his father's reaction would be, but he loved David, and he had to hope that Martin would understand that he had to move on, if only for his grandson's sake.

In a matter of moments, Niles and Daphne had signed paperwork to adopt the dog. According to the tag around his neck, the dog's name was Rascal. "Well, if he's anything like Eddie, I have a feeling he's going to live up to his name," Niles said, smiling at Daphne.

"Can we go to Grandpa's now?" David asked as they walked back out to the car.

Daphne had to smile at the way David seemed ready to burst with anticipation. "Let's show Rascal his new home."


	4. Chapter 4

"You're going to live with my grandpa and Grandma Ronee. Except she hates it when I call her 'Grandma.' But she's really nice most of the time. She even gives me cookies when Mommy's not around."

In the front seat, Daphne couldn't help smiling. She knew she should probably be angry at the thought that her parenting was being undermined, but looking at David's face right now, she just couldn't do it.

"Grandpa used to have a dog just like you," David continued to explain to Rascal. "His name was Eddie. He lived with Grandpa for a long time. For the entire eleven years my Uncle Frasier lived here. I don't even have enough fingers to count that high!"

"Even I miss Eddie now and then," Daphne said. "I was the one who took care of him for most of those eleven years, you know!"

Niles glanced at his wife. "I can't imagine where Frasier and Dad and I would be if you hadn't come into our lives. I'm sure even Eddie appreciated all you did for him."

Daphne didn't know what to say. Instead she merely looked at Niles, giving his hand a grateful squeeze. They'd now arrived at Martin's house. David barely waited for his dad to park before grabbing Rascal's leash and getting out of the car.

They walked to the front door. "David, settle down. We don't want to scare Rascal when he sees his new home," Daphne said. With a great effort, David took a deep breath and attempted to get a grip on himself. After making sure that David was as calm as he was going to get, Daphne rang the doorbell. It was answered almost immediately by Ronee. "Is Martin at home?" Daphne asked.

Ronee nodded. "He's in the living room watching a football game. Or at least I think he is. I don't think he's paying much attention, though. He hasn't said a word since halftime."

Both Niles and Daphne couldn't help feeling sad. They knew that when Martin watched sports, he was usually animated, yelling at the quarterbacks on TV, and insisting that he could do a better job of coaching the Seahawks. "Well," Daphne said when they'd composed themselves, "We think we've found a solution. This is Rascal." She stepped aside so that Ronee could see David and the dog who sat next to him.

"We just picked him out at the shelter!" David announced. "He looks just like Eddie, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does," Ronee said. She desperately hoped this would work. She'd done everything she could think of to get Martin back to himself. "Well, let's introduce Rascal to his new master."

The four of them walked into the living room, where Martin sat, staring into space as a football game played on TV. David excitedly ran over to his grandfather. Martin was about to greet David when he noticed the dog. "Eddie?" Martin's eyes widened in disbelief. He had to be hallucinating.

"Nope, Grandpa, this is Rascal. We just got him at the shelter. 'Cause Mom said you miss Eddie, and he's never coming back." Rascal stared up at Martin, his tail wagging. The adults in the room waited, breathless, to see what Martin's reaction would be.

"Here boy," Martin said, patting his lap as he'd done for Eddie countless times. Immediately, Rascal jumped up, licking Martin's cheek. There was a collective sigh of relief. It took Martin a moment to register what was happening. He hadn't realized until now just how much he'd been missing his favorite dog. But it seemed that, somehow, Rascal had sensed exactly what he needed. When the dog had finally calmed down, he rested his head on Martin's lap. "You guys really did this for me?" Martin asked, looking at Niles and Daphne.

"It was David's idea," Daphne said proudly.

Martin looked at his grandson, overwhelmed by the thought that this young boy had cared enough to do this for him. "Thanks," he said, doing his best not to show his emotions.

David stepped forward and awkwardly hugged his grandfather and Rascal. "You weren't any fun. You didn't want to play with me or watch sports, or anything."

Only then did Martin realize that his grief had taken a toll on everyone around him. He'd known that Ronee was upset and frustrated, but he didn't know what he was supposed to do about it. When David was born, Martin swore that he'd be a better grandfather than he ever was as a father. Since Eddie's death, he knew he'd failed miserably. "Oh, David. I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"It's OK, Grandpa. I miss Eddie, too."

"We all do," Daphne said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I know it's no excuse, especially since I've got Ronee in my life, but ever since Frasier left, I felt like Eddie was all I had. When he was gone, I just...didn't know what to do."

"It's all right, Dad. Grief is tough on anybody," Niles said, remembering the countless patients he'd counseled who were dealing with one loss or another.

"I learned a lot from those years with Frasier. I learned that family is what matters most. And with David here, I planned to do things right this time. I was a horrible failure. I hope you guys can forgive me."

Daphne looked at her husband, and then at Ronee. All three of them were blinking back tears. Those eleven years had been memorable for everyone. The bond the Crane family now shared had been built on numerous petty arguments and constantly forgiving one another's shortcomings. "We forgive you, you rotten old sod," Daphne finally said, going over to kiss her father-in-law's cheek.

"Yeah, Dad," Niles said, putting a hand on his father's back. "After all you've done for us, how can you think we wouldn't forgive you?"

Martin looked at his family, overwhelmed by a level of emotion he hadn't felt in years. "Wow, when I got shot and thought my life was over, I never would've imagined I'd end up here," he said. "I don't know how to thank you guys. I've got the best family I could've asked for." Suddenly he remembered the dog laying in his lap. "That includes you, you know."

Rascal responded with a loud bark. It seemed that, just like Eddie, Rascal knew exactly what Martin had said.

**The End**


End file.
